Romero picks up where he left off

Argentine Andres Romero refused to be pummelled into submission by an unbelievable start from his two nearest rivals and responded with a spectacular counter-attack to take the third round lead in the Players' Championship here.

A nine-under-par 63, containing two eagles and five birdies, left Romero, third in last week's Open after leading with two holes to go, with a 17-under-par total of 199 for a lead of two over Zane Scotland, with Lee Slattery another stroke behind. The two Englishmen played in the final group and Scotland made one of the fastest starts seen in recent times when he shot an eagle and four birdies over the first five holes, chipping in with a three-wood from greenside rough for his eagle at the third. Slattery birdied the first three before they levelled off to finish with 66 and 67 respectively.

Romero's 63 equalled the course record set by Lee Westwood last year, although it will not count for record purposes because of the preferred lies in operation on the sodden course and his good form is no surprise, for last year he was second in the Scottish Open and eighth in The Open. But after he collapsed to shoot 77 and 80 in the final two rounds at Loch Lomond this month, major surgery seemed to be required. 'Disappointing greens and very, very bad irons,' he said in explanation.

'I couldn't believe why I was hitting the ball so badly. But I worked hard on the Monday at Carnoustie and felt very good by the time the Open started.'

The 26-year-old from Tucuman was too adventurous over the last two holes at Carnoustie and admitted that inexperience might have cost him that title. But he did not suggest that he would back off in today's final round here. 'I intend to play like I have been playing and hope it works out well for me,' he said.

Scotland was 16 when he qualified for the 1999 Open at Carnoustie, where he missed the cut. He then won a host of junior events before a car crash in 2003 left him with two displaced vertebrae in his neck. Periods of up to four months without hitting a ball followed until he found a London clinic that helped him with the neck problem. 'There were times when it was like having a knife in my neck when I tried to hit a ball,' he said.

Scotland, who was tenth in the French Open last month, his only previous full Tour event this year, holed a 15-foot birdie putt at the first and a five-footer at the next. His second shot at the long third rolled through the green, where he wielded his three wood to great effect.

Nearer the bottom of the board, double US Open champion Retief Goosen showed signs of life after a desultory couple of months, during which he missed cuts in his past four events before last week's Open, where he secured twenty-third place. He made the cut here with nothing to spare. The South African shot a five-under 67 without a bogey, enough to satisfy most players - but not him.

'I feel like I shot 77, really, so badly I putted,' he said. 'My iron play was probably the best it's been all year. But I missed so many short ones today, it's scary.

'It could have been 61, comfortably. Today was just shocking that I can miss so many putts. Any other guy in the field today would have shot 61 the way I struck it into the greens.

'The putter's ice cold. When you can't make putts it doesn't matter how good you hit it,' he said.